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Chapter 7 Meet the Neighbors

Diane had found a reliable baby sitter, Juliet Fiddler, a high school senior who lived just a few doors down the street and was willing and available to mind the children. She arrived at eight o'clock and was greeted by our three. They knew Juliet and liked her, so we were confident there wouldn't be any problems. Besides we were only a few doors away, across the street. We kissed the children good night and headed off to the party at the home of the neighbors, Christie and Paul Wilson.

I had met a few of the neighbors in my brief time in Louisville, but the crowd at the Wilson's was a mix of those I had met and of those I had not. Christie greeted us at the door and welcomed us. She was Diane's closest friend, although we hadn't been formally introduced.

"It's so nice to meet you, Doug. Diane has told me a lot about you. I must say, she certainly picked a handsome husband."

"Thank you, Christie. I'm really going to have to pay attention to the introductions tonight. I don't know very many people here."

"Well, that's understandable. You've been busy with your new job and on the road too. How are you enjoying driving the bus?"

"Very much. It's something I always wanted to do but didn't think I'd ever get the chance. As you can imagine, I'm pretty pumped up about it right now."

"That's wonderful. It's so good to meet someone who's enthusiastic about their job. Diane is like that too. It must be contagious," she chuckled.

She led me into the living area and then out onto a large back deck. There were quite a few people here already. I poured myself a soft drink and stepped out onto the porch. I wasn't there more than a minute when a big, hearty man approached me.

"Hi, I'm Paul Wilson. I don't recognize you, so you must be Diane's husband."

"That's right," I said, holding out my hand. "I'm Doug Hansen," I managed before he nearly crushed my hand in his grip. It took all my self control not to react to his stupid stunt. What the hell was he trying to prove?

"Boy, you sure got yourself a great looking wife, Doug, old boy. Just your size, too," he smirked.

"Yeah," I agreed vaguely, "lucky me."

I'd only met the guy in the last thirty seconds and already I didn't like him.

"Excuse me, Paul, I need to meet some of my new neighbors."

"Yeah. You go ahead, Doug. I can see you wouldn't know them with Diane just letting you back into the house recently."

I was about to say something when I realized it was futile. He was a jerk and I doubt it was just liquor talking. He must have been about six-four and two-fifty, but had the manners of a slob. My impression of his wife was quite the opposite. She seemed nice, and nothing like him. The "Odd Couple," I decided.

I was about to wander off in search of a familiar face ... any familiar face ... when I felt a hand slip into my pants pocket and make a pass at my privates. I jumped in surprise only to find Diane pulling her hand out and laughing as she took a sip from her drink.

"Jeez, Di, I wasn't ready for that. I hope no one saw."

We hadn't been here long enough for her to get drunk and she wasn't smoking anything funny, so once again she had done something completely unexpected.

"I'm down an orgasm from this afternoon," she whispered in my ear. "You're going to have to make up for that tonight."

"Count on it," I said, still amazed at the difference in my ex-wife's behavior.

"I see you met Paul. He's a real character."

"Yeah, you could say that all right," I agreed.

"Christie is my best gal friend. We share everything."

"Everything?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, almost everything."

"That would account for Paul's crack about me being allowed back into the house."

"Oh, don't pay any attention to him. He likes to pretend he knows everything about everybody."

"Now there's a scary thought," I said.

Diane gave me a funny look but didn't comment.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some of our other neighbors," she smiled.

We got home just at midnight and I paid Juliet and thanked her for looking after the children. We headed to the bedroom with Diane still in a frisky mood.

"Come on, sailor. Show me what you've got for me," she giggled.

I know Diane didn't have more than two drinks at the party, so she was just demonstrating that not only was she in a good mood, she was as horny as she was that afternoon. When she took off her dress, I saw she was wearing the skimpiest of panties ... almost a thong in fact. Her bra was pretty minimal as well. Both items were gone in a flash and she was spread-eagled on the bed, but this time face down.

"Hurry up, baby. I need a hard cock in me and I need it now," she said, humping her ass up in invitation.

Naked at last, I moved up behind her and began to tease her pussy with the head of my cock. She was having none of it. Reaching down beneath her, she grabbed my erection and virtually impaled herself on it. There was no shortage of lubrication and within seconds she was slamming her ass back at me, grunting with the effort, her hands gripping fistfuls of bedcovers.

There was little I had to do but stand fast and let her do the work. This was another version of the new sexuality that she had been demonstrating since I'd returned. Not that I was complaining, but I was wondering. What had caused this dramatic change in her sexual behavior? It was pretty clear that she was game for any number of new positions. Maybe I'd have to buy a copy of the Kama Sutra to see what we could try next.

For the next two hours, we wore ourselves out, with Diane's improving oral skills bringing me back to life when I was sure there was no life to be had. If this was the kind of reception I was going to get each time I came home from a road trip, I was going to have to make sure I was physically prepared for the onslaught. "Not tonight, I've got a headache," wasn't going to fly with her.

We both fell asleep in each others arms, exhausted and ignoring the sticky, damp sheets. I didn't have time or the energy to ponder Diane's radical change in sexual behavior. To tell the truth, I didn't want to delve too far into the question. I'd only been back in her arms for the past three months and I certainly didn't want to question her too aggressively. I'd have to go about this in a more subtle way.

We were sitting in the kitchen the next morning, drinking coffee when the door bell rang. I got up to see who it was and was surprised to see Christie at the door.

"Hi ... good morning," I smiled. "Come in, we were just having a coffee."

"Thanks, Doug. It was so good to meet you at last. I hope you enjoyed the party and met some of our neighbors?"

"Yes, I did, but I'm not sure I'll remember all the names. Diane's in the kitchen. Can I pour you a coffee?"

"Yes please," she said as she proceeded to the kitchen.

"Hi Christie," Diane said, getting up and giving her a welcoming hug. "What time did the stragglers finally leave last night?"

"I have no idea. I went to bed just before two o'clock. Paul was still downstairs demonstrating his storehouse of porn tapes to the remaining soldiers. I just got up a half-hour ago and he was still out cold on the TV room couch. He won't be up until this afternoon, if then."

"Is there a big mess to clean up?" I asked. "I'd be happy to help you."

"No ... I got a lot of it taken care of last night. Just about everything either went into the dishwasher or the garbage. If I turned on the vacuum now, it would probably kill Paul. But thanks for the offer. That's very kind of you."

I nodded and got a big smile from Diane. I guess I'd done the right thing.

"How long have you lived here," I asked Christie.

"About three years ... yeah ... three years and two months. We came from Cleveland when Paul was transferred by his company. He hated Cleveland and took a lateral move to get here. I can't say I'm delirious, but this is a much nicer place in the winter. I guess you'd feel the same way about Minneapolis."

I shrugged. "Minnesota has its charms. It's where Diane and I were brought up, so that's a factor."

"I'm happy here," Diane said, looking at me with a loving smile. "Now that Doug is back and healed, I'm happy."

"Yeah ... I can see that," Christie said with a wistful look. "I'm envious."

"Uhhm, I'm going to cut the lawn," I said rising, "so I'll leave you two to chat. Thanks again for inviting us to your party, Christie. We enjoyed it."

"We'll have to do it again, maybe with a smaller group," she smiled.

I got the big lawn cut before the sun was high and made the work impossibly hot. I wasn't yet used to the sustained humidity of the region and I found it sapped the energy from me fairly quickly. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Despite the fact that it was Saturday, Diane was busy with her work at her bedroom desk.

I was soaked in sweat when I finished the lawn and I headed for the shower immediately. I was stripping in the ensuite when I saw Diane watching me from the doorway.

"God, but you look good, lover," she said, her arms folded across her chest and leaning against the door frame.

"I'm a stinky, sweaty mess. I don't think any woman would find me attractive at this moment."

"Well, stud, you'd be wrong. You make me so damn horny, standing there with that gorgeous cock of yours just begging for attention."

In a single move she had taken her t-shirt off before dropping her shorts and then her panties. She was naked and moving toward me after pushing the sliding door closed. No bra I noticed. I wondered if Christie had noticed that.

She dropped to her knees as I turned the shower on and took my rising cock in her mouth. Within seconds it was as hard as it could get and I had forgotten about the shower. I thought she was going to finish me there, but stopped and stood up.

"Shower time," she said, stepping into the cabinet.

There was enough room for two, but only just. We soaped each other, with Diane paying particular attention to me as I rid myself of the sweat and grime from my chore. It felt good, but she had a way to make me feel better. Using her hand to keep me hard, she turned around and spread her legs apart, looking over her shoulder expectantly at me.

I knew exactly what she had in mind, even though we had never done anything like this before. Our quarters were so close that I barely had to move to bring my cock into play with her pussy. As she was prone to do, she helped me find exactly the right place and I slipped home. My first shower sex was underway.

When the little head is in play, the big head takes a nap. There was no point in trying to comprehend the changes that had come over Diane in the past months. Her sexual demands seemed to be increasing over time. Although I had no reason to complain, at least I wanted to understand what was happening with her. In the meantime, I was busy giving my ex-wife the benefit of my revived energy.

"Oh, yeah, Doug. Oh, yeah. That's it. That's what I need."

Diane was moving her ass and exaggerating my strokes to get the maximum benefit. Although we had indulged in a two-hour session only twelve hours earlier, she didn't seem to have any discomfort or lessening of her desire. She was hot, and she made sure I knew it.

When she hit the magic moment, she gasped, clenched her muscles to finish me and then sagged into my arms. This time I was pretty sure she was truly finished. I held onto her and stroked her breasts gently until she regained her senses and stood once more. She turned to me and kissed me with forceful passion.

"I love you, Doug. I don't want you to go, ever. Never leave me again. Promise me."

"I promise," I said without a moment's hesitation. It was the easiest decision I'd had to make in a very long time.

Chapter 8 Happy Holidays

Kids are amazing. They can pick up on things that you don't realize without anything ever having been said to them. In our case, the idea that I might leave the home again and not live there was off the table. I guess it was our body language that made it obvious. Diane and I never said anything to give them that assurance, but they knew. They knew and they quit worrying about it.

Little Sandy, now in kindergarten, knew. She knew Daddy wasn't going anywhere except on his big silver bus and he would be home when he was finished his trip. Debbie automatically expected I would come to her school play if I wasn't on a trip. Billy knew I would be at every Pop Warner game if I were home.

"Diane, if I got down on my knee and proposed again, would you marry me?" I asked her one night as I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yes," she said immediately, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, I will marry you again. I love you, Doug. I can't imagine my life if you're not in it. You and I ... we're perfect together. It's magic, my love. You and me ... we're magic."

"Is city hall and a civil ceremony okay?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes. I don't care where or how. I do want it, though. I want it to be official. I want everyone to know that we are married."

"Well ... I'll see what we have to do to make it happen then."

"No need," she smiled. "I have already checked it out. We can do it tomorrow afternoon. I'll let them know we're coming."

"You've been waiting for me, haven't you."

"Yes. I didn't want to rush you or push you into anything you weren't ready for, but if you are ready ... I'm more than ready."

I could tell by the look on her face that this was what she truly wanted and it would make her happy.

"Tomorrow afternoon it is, then," I grinned, wrapping her up in my arms and kissing her. It felt good. It felt like a big weight had been lifted off me. I was back. We were back. We were going to be a proper family once again.

By Thanksgiving I had logged a lot of miles as a Silver Arrow driver. It was football season and we were often using two or more coaches to transport teams from one school to another. Some were high school and some were college teams, but the routine was the same. Get them to the game, hang around Friday or Saturday, then bring them home. One night wonders, I called them.

Diane loved football season. Not because she loved football, but because I was seldom gone for more than the one night. The winter tour season had not yet begun and my longer trips were fewer and further between. It didn't matter because I was doing what I loved and getting paid very nicely for it. In fact, with the success of Diane's business, we were socking away quite a nice little nest egg.

"Sweetheart, what do think if we took the kids to Disney World during spring break?" I asked her one night while we were in bed.

"I think they'd think you were the best dad in the whole world," she said, kissing me soundly.

"I thought I would sign us up for one of the Silver Arrow Disney World trips and we could all go as a family."

"You wouldn't be driving, would you?" she asked, a little concerned.

"No. I want to be with them when they have all the fun and I want to be with you to watch as you enjoy it too."

She rolled on top of me and kissed me again, this time even more passionately than before.

"I love you, Douglas Hansen. I love you to pieces," she murmured into my neck as she reached for my manhood.

"I love you too, Di. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am. Married to you again, together with our children once more. I don't know how it could ever be better than this."

We made love and this time it was slow and sensuous. There was no urgency or demand. It was two people, man and woman, perfectly in tune with each other.

Our parents came to visit us over the Christmas and New Years holidays. I could sense the relief in all of them that we were back as a family unit once more. They spoiled the children with presents, of course. It's what's expected of grandparents. When they left to return to their homes, we looked at each other and hugged. I had my Christmas present. It came with a document telling me that I was married to Diane once more.

Our parents left on January 2nd and were hardly out the door when Christie appeared on our doorstep. One look at her and we could tell that something was seriously wrong. Her eyes were red and she looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Come in, Christie, dear," Diane said, taking hold of her hand. "What's wrong? You look awful."

That started the tears and we led her gently to the living room sofa and let her sit with Diane on one side and me on the other.

"It's Paul. He's gone. I mean, he hasn't come home."

"Whoa, Christie," I said. "Tell us what happened."

"We went to a New Years Day party at somebody's house. I didn't know them. Paul did. There were about twenty people there. Everyone was very friendly and welcomed us. I had a drink and circulated, meeting and talking to some people. Later on, I notice some of the guests had gone somewhere. And Paul had disappeared.

"Then some guy came over and introduced himself to me and asked me if I'd like to go upstairs. I thought he wanted to show me around so I went with him. When we got there, he opened a door and there was a couple on the bed ... having sex. He apologized and led me to the next door. That room was empty.

"He turned to me and said, 'Good, we have this room all to ourselves.'

"It took me a moment to realize what he was suggesting. He was expecting to have sex with me. I told him there was no way and he looked at me funny. 'What do you think this party is for?' he asked. I told him I didn't know, but I was going to find my husband and leave.

'"I think you'll find he's a little busy right now,' he said. Again, I asked him what he was talking about. He pointed to a room across the hall. I walked over and opened the door. I almost fainted. There was Paul, naked, fucking some woman on the bed. I screamed at him and he looked at me and then just went back to doing what he was doing."

"Oh my God, Christie," Diane cried. "That's awful. What did you do?"

"I had a set of car keys in my purse. I grabbed my coat and was out the door in ten seconds flat. I sat in the car for a while, trying to compose myself. Then I drove home. I haven't had a moment's peace since. I can't sleep, I can't eat ... I don't know what to do."

"And Paul didn't come home," I confirmed.

She shook her head. "He's still not home. Maybe he drank himself into a stupor ... again. Or maybe he's still banging that slut he was in bed with."

I let my breath out. "You didn't know these people who held the party, did you?" I suggested.

"No. I didn't know anyone there."

"I have a feeling you were taken to a swinger party. Why Paul would think that's a good idea, I couldn't guess, but by the sounds of it, that's what it was."

Christie couldn't have gotten any whiter. It had just dawned on her what the party was all about and what her husband thought she would be willing to do.

"Did you have anything to drink there?" I asked. I could see Diane was paying close attention to me and my questions.

"I had one drink, but I didn't like the taste of it and I nursed it. I never did finish it."

"That's probably what saved you. If Paul didn't have the guts to tell you what the party was about, I wouldn't be surprised if that drink had ecstasy or some date-rape drug in it. It would make you more susceptible to someone trying to take advantage of you."

"Paul got me that drink. Do you think he tried to drug me?"

I shrugged. "How else could he get you to go along with what he wanted?"

That brought on more tears and Diane got up and put the kettle on to make some tea.

"That's it, Di," Christie finally said, wiping her eyes. "I've had enough. Too many times he's made a fool of me. This time it's over. I'm filing for divorce."

That caught me by surprise. Christie was saying this wasn't a first and she was also saying that Diane knew about her problems. I decided to shut up and listen.